


A love for Christmas

by Birooksun



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Christmas Party, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Gavin Reed Redemption, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Upgraded Connor RK900/Gavin Reed-centric, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 06:18:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17156807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birooksun/pseuds/Birooksun
Summary: Written for the DBH Secret Santa 2018!Something about Christmas just tugged at Gavin’s chest. He wondered if he would always hate the season. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and coughed into his hand. As he wiped the blood off onto his jeans he wondered if this would be his last Christmas. Or if last year was his last one.





	A love for Christmas

Something about Christmas just tugged at Gavin’s chest. He wondered if he would always hate the season. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and coughed into his hand. As he wiped the blood off onto his jeans he wondered if this would be his last Christmas. Or if last year was his last one. He put the cigarette back in his mouth and thought of the year before, he’d spent the holiday with Tina and her family. He remembered the expression her sister gave him when those kids opened their toys. Even now it brought a smirk to his face. She  _ hated _ the loud, brightly flashing toys he had gotten her kids. Tina high fived him the moment her sister wasn’t looking though, so that made it all worth it.

 

He finished his cigarette and walked back into the DPD, giving a half wave to the android’s at the desk. He felt tired, his chest hurt all the time now. He knew why, knew he should just get the surgery and be free of it that way. He walked back over to his desk and sat down, moving onto his paperwork for a while until he noticed someone walk up to him. 

 

“Detective Reed, I couldn’t help but noticing you had some blood on the corner of your mouth. Is everything alright?” He jerked his head up, glaring and quickly wiping his mouth.

 

How dare that fucker even ask that question. “Mind your own fucking business RK900.” He quickly ran a thumb over his mouth again, glancing down to make sure there was no remaining blood on it. “What I do doesn’t matter to you.” It hurt to say the words, it hurt to see the look on Nine’s face before the android turned and walked away. He,  _ it _ , spoke briefly to Connor before continuing to his own desk. Connor looked up and gave a glare that Gavin didn’t really care enough to return.

 

“Fucking nosey ass androids.” Gavin muttered to himself, making sure it was just loud enough to be heard. He didn’t want people to get ideas about him. Another twinge of pain hit his chest, he couldn’t help but curl in a little from the pain. “ _ Fuck _ .” It took a moment for him to catch his breath. He looked up to see Tina watching him with a tight frown. She knew, of course she would as his best friend. He wondered if she knew who it was for though? He tried to keep it a secret. Knew it would have to stay a secret. 

 

He managed the rest of his shift and as he left Tina walked up next to him. “Going to get another surgery then?” He gave a shrug and kept walking, looking around to make sure they didn’t have any evesdroppers. 

 

He gave a sigh of relief that turned into a coughing fit. He didn’t need to look at his hand to see there was blood, he just wiped it away and turned to face her. “I’ll try and get scheduled after the holidays. Alright? Don’t have to spread it around.”

 

She placed a hand on his shoulder, “Who?”

 

“It doesn’t fucking matter. After the surgery there won’t be an issue. Just- keep it to yourself, okay Tina? I’ll be fine, I promise.” He gave a quick smile. It was faked and they both knew it, he really didn’t know why he had to fake the happy response. It was just another motion he found himself going through. He wondered how much time he even had left, knew the smoking wouldn’t help it either. Lungs filling up with petals? Why not add some smoke to the already limited space. The mental image made him laugh slightly as he climbed into his car.

 

He didn’t see Nines watching him at a distance, the android rubbing his chest in a familiar way as well. Connor walked up and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Nines? Are you alright?” 

 

“Sure Connor.” He turned and gave a warm smile to Connor before following the smaller android to the car Hank was standing by. “Hank, you really should stop smoking.” He frowned as he thought of Gavin returning from a smoke break with blood on his lips. “That can lead to cancer.” 

 

Hank scoffed and put out the cigarette, “You and I know that’s not what’s eating away at him.” He shook his head and climbed into the car. “It’s the same fucking problem you have.” He looked up to see the two of them climb in his car and drove home. He wondered how an android could have the same problem, but shrugged it off as something someone much smarter would figure out. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Nines unconsciously rub at his chest as his LED turned red for a moment. 

 

After they all got home, Connor quickly left to take Sumo for a walk while Nines went to start cooking dinner for Hank. “You don’t need to do that ya know. I can just order delivery.” 

 

Nines gave a quick smile, “If you would prefer that-”

 

“Yeah yeah, today I’ll prefer it. Go, rest or whatever.” He shooed Nines out of the room.

 

Nines walked into the room he shared with Connor, what previously had been Coles room was now theres. He wondered for a moment how much it had hurt Hank to finally move away the last of his son’s possessions. He looked over at the mirror doors on the closet before walking over to them. Nines stood in front of the mirrors and slowly removed his shirt, noticing everything looked just fine on the outside. No imperfections, no faults for the latest RK prototype. He opened up his chest cavity and had to close his eyes for a brief moment. That was  _ not _ supposed to be there. A blue flower growing through his components. The thorns sticking out dripped Thirum and it  _ hurt _ when he tried to pull it out. He pulled his hands away, falling to the floor and  _ gasping _ for unnecessary air. 

 

He quickly slid his chest cavity shut and had his shirt buttoned up and straightened by the time Connor opened the door to their room. “Sorry Nines, I have to change real quick. Sumo ran after a squirrel and we both ended up a little messy.” He gave a sheepish smile and Nines just shook his head at Connor.

 

“Would you like me to bathe Sumo while you get changed then?” 

 

“Oh no! It’s fine, I just need to grab a towel and some clean clothes before I clean us both off.” He laughed as he quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and an old worn out DPD sweatshirt Nines was sure he had stolen from Hank. 

 

“I’ll leave you to it then.” The door clicked shut behind Connor and Nines turned to sit on their couch. Neither of them needed a bed, but the couch was a compromise from Hank. Apparently it felt like a ‘glorified closet’ without any furniture in it. It didn’t make much of a difference to Nines but at the moment he was glad for a surface to sit on. He removed his shirt and opened his chest cavity again, tracing a finger around a petal. He wrapped his fingers around it and pulled. It  _ hurt _ , it made static fill the edges of his vision and he stopped. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. He couldn’t do this, couldn’t pull out the petals and thorns and all the accompanying emotions with them. “I’m going to die.”

* * *

 

“Fuck, I’m going to die. Aren’t I?” Gavin whispered as Elijah patted him on the shoulder. “I- I’m really going to die.” 

 

Elijah frowned and turned towards Chloe. She gave a worried smile and spoke up, “I know you probably won’t want to hear this Gavin, but he could always return your feelings?”

 

He shook his head, “He wouldn’t even believe I cared.”

 

“Do we know him?” Elijah finally spoke, his eyes still focused on the cell phone in Gavin’s hand. “Why wouldn’t he believe you?”

 

Gavin stood up, brushing off his brothers hand. “Because I’m a fucking asshole. Have you met me?”

 

Elijah just shook his head, “No. It’s more than that isn’t it? You’ve gone out of your way to push them away haven’t you? Are you suicidal?”   
  


“I didn’t want to fall in love! I didn’t want this! I thought if I could push him away, if I could get him to hate me. Then I could stop. Then this would stop. But it didn’t, and I didn’t. Now it’s too late to even remove this fucking thing.” 

 

Elijah sighed and placed his head in his hands, “Okay. We’ll figure something out. I’m sure of it. We have to.” 

 

Gavin gave a sigh that turned into a coughing fit, Chloe rushed to grab him as he started to fall over. “I’m fine!” He gasped out as he weakly pushed her away, one hand moved to his chest and the other on his back as Chloe guided him to sitting. She grabbed a towel and held it under his mouth to help catch the petals and blood he was throwing up. “I don’t need a fucking piece of plastic helping me.” He spat out the last petal, grimacing at the sensation of it sticking to his lip. 

 

Chloe knelt down in front of Gavin, gently brushing the blood off of him with a towel and giving a soft smile. “It’s a  _ piece of plastic _ you’ve fallen in love with, isn’t it?” He turned his head away from her and she stood up to grab him some water. 

 

“Thanks.” He drank some to remove the feeling of blood and petals from his mouth. “Not like it makes a difference. Either way, he doesn’t love me. Not even sure he can.” He stood back up and motioned to the folded up towel Chloe held. “I can throw that away.”

 

She gave a tilt of her head and another smile, “It’s alright Gavin. Go home, rest.” He just nodded and walked out the door. The moment it shut Elijah leaned his head against Chloe. She looked down at the towel in her hands and frowned. “He threw up a lot of blood Elijah. How long has he had this?”

 

“I don’t know. I just don’t know Chloe.” Elijah’s voice held a whine to it and Chloe turned to give him a hug. They ignored the bloody towel in her lap for a moment, pushed aside the ticking clock for a moment of comfort. “He wouldn’t even tell us who it is.” 

 

“Perhaps Tina will know? She’s his best friend.” Chloe left the room and Elijah nodded, picking up his phone and looking through his contacts for his brother’s best friend.

 

He dialed and within a few rings the phone was picked up. “Long time no chat Eli. What’s up? Planning on crashing the DPD Xmas party this year? It’s tomorrow night.”

 

He shook his head slightly as he gave a small laugh. “No, maybe? Not the reason I called you. I called because I have a question for you Tina dear.” 

 

There was a moment of silence, he wondered what she was doing. “You know then?” 

 

“I don’t  _ know _ . That’s why I’m calling. It’s too far gone. Tina I need to know who it is that’s done this to my brother!” 

 

He heard a sigh and the sound of a microwave beeping through the phone. “Look Elijah, I don’t know what you plan to do. I have some ideas, but they’re only ideas. I think I know who he’s in love with, but you know Gavin. He won’t tell me, and he pushes Nines away. I think Nines feels the same but- well he’s very stoic to begin with.”

 

“Who is Nines?”

 

“The RK900 model android, Connor named him.” 

 

Elijah turned his head to look at the phone screen, his whole face screaming ‘ _ what’ _ as he just mouthed the word. Tina continued speaking, “He’s pretty attractive and a really nice guy, if you’re not a criminal. Anyway I’ve got a plan. Hopefully it all works out tomorrow. I’m pretty sure he cares for Gavin.” Elijah turned to see Chloe walk back in the room, the towel gone from her hands. He motioned to her and the phone. “Well, I gotta go Elijah. Lemme know if you’re gatecrashing or I’ll just text you about tomorrow.” Tina hung up her end of the call and Elijah just put the phone down. 

 

He gave a sigh and looked up at Chloe, “Well I  _ think _ I know why he thinks the person wouldn’t, or couldn’t love him back.”

 

Chloe sat back down next to Elijah and curled up against him on the couch. “He’s in love with an android, isn’t he?” 

 

“You’ve got it right.”

* * *

 

Gavin tugged at the sweater Tina had given him. He wondered yet again why he wore the stupid thing every year. It was comfortable, but the blinking lights were an eyesore to himself and anyone who would even  _ think _ of glancing in his direction. It was probably why Tina loved it so much and wore a matching one every year. He took another swig of his beer. He needed more than just the one to deal with his holiday. 

 

Connor seemed excited though, and Gavin found himself amused he wasn’t the only one dragged along in a matching Christmas sweater. He smirked at Hank and Nines following behind a quickly talking Connor, all three of them wearing red and green boxed sweaters with a gold  _ metallic _ bow placed off center. It was  _ hideous _ and it made him feel better to see someone else dressed horribly. Hank looked over at him and flipped him off. Gavin grinned and drank some more beer. He glanced over at Nines, stupid android shouldn’t be allowed to still look attractive in such an ugly sweater. 

 

He frowned when Nines turned away and started to talk with Miller. Nines only spoke for a moment before turning to Tina, “I’ll be right back.” and following Nines down the hallway. The tall android dipped into an interrogation room and Gavin followed in behind him. He opened his mouth to speak but Nines suddenly bent over and started coughing and heaving up  _ bright blue _ and barely white tinted flowers. 

 

He felt frozen,  _ Nines was in love with someone. _ Then he realized that whoever Nines loved must not feel the same way for Nines to be in the same predicament as himself. Red rage filled his vision as his curled his hands into fists. “Who is it? I’ll kill them for breaking your heart!” 

 

Nines looked up at him in surprise, then gave a small sad smile before speaking. They both ignored the small pile of petals on the table. The thirium on them would evaporate, leaving a small dried pile of flowers in just a half hour anyway. “I doubt you’re suicidal Detective.”

 

Gavin flinched as if struck. Was this some kind of joke? “What? This isn’t fucking funny.” He saw the hurt expression and turned his head towards the mirror instead of looking at Nines. “I never thought you could like me.” He rubbed his chest, the constant pain that had been there felt like it was fading as well. He quickly took the few long strides to come up close to Nines. It felt like a show of trust that Nines didn’t even flinch back at the sudden invasion of space. “I- you’re not the only one.”

 

Finally Nines reacted and backed up, his legs bumping into the table and sitting on it. Gavin took advantage of his head suddenly being lower and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him into a harsh kiss. He could feel their teeth click and taste the slightly metallic thirium still on Nines tongue. 

 

When they pulled apart Gavin was gasping for air and Nines just looked at him in surprise. “You were coughing up blood earlier as well.”

 

He gave a half shrug in response, turning his head down towards the ground. “Yeah well, never thought you would give me the time of day. I thought- it doesn’t matter.” He glanced towards the door before looking back at Nines with a smirk. “Should we head back out there or wanna make out for a little while longer?”

 

Nines gave a small smirk and Gavin could  _ see _ the glee in his eyes. “As entertaining as the thought is, we really should head back to the party. No doubt Connor has already become aware of our absence.” 

 

They left the room, walking down the hallway side by side, the backs of their hands just brushing against each other before Tina stopped them with a smile. “Mistletoe!” She pointed just above them, hung up right where the hallway ended and Gavin shook his head. He wondered when the hell she got it up there and more importantly- how the fuck she did it. 

 

He turned towards Nines and gave a dopey grin, “One more?” Nines responded by grabbing Gavin by the sweater and pulling him up for a kiss. They ended the kiss when they could hear whistles and shouts from their coworkers. 

 

Tina just clapped her hands and grinned at the two of them. “Now help me get it back down, I gotta get Connor again!” Gavin laughed as she basically climbed up onto Nine’s shoulders and stood on top of them to reach the mistletoe. She dropped off his shoulders with no hesitation that Nines would catch her. Then gave him a kiss on the cheek before running off to wherever Connor was. Gavin turned to look at Nines and gave a loud laugh. Right on his cheek where Tina had kissed his was a bright red and glittery lip mark. 

 

“This is going to be a fun night, but I need another beer.” He reached out to grab Nines hand and they went to the drinks table. He grabbed a beer and gave a mock toast to Nines. “Merry Christmas.” Nines responded by leaning against Gavin, his chin resting on his head, as if to reassure himself Gavin really was there. 


End file.
